DQE.L Regulatory News (DQE)

5 May 2009 07:00



For Immediate Release May 5th 2009

DQ Entertainment PLC ("DQE")

DQ Entertainment closes the budget of Euro 9.2 Million for the Jungle Book series with Moonscoop France in a co production deal

DQE, (AIM : DQE) The London listed Animation & Gaming Entertainment group, has signed a French co production deal with Paris-based entertainment group Moonscoop to close the Euro 9.2 million production budget for this all-new original 3D animated TV series - 'The Jungle Book' being developed and produced by DQE, adapted from the original writings of Rudyard Kipling.

The other major co-production partners already on-board are ZDF Enterprises and ZDF Broadcasting - Germany, as well as broadcasting and licensing powerhouse TF1 Group from France.

MoonScoop now will cooperate with TF1 broadcasting and other French funding agencies to perform some very important part of the work on the series. 

NBC Universal, London is already responsible for Home Video distribution in some major western and far eastern territories. 

This new alliance with Moonscoop will successfully capitalize on the strong individual production, global distribution and business networking capabilities of both groups. This relationship is already in place for several other iconic productions for last few years which include, The Fantastic Four, Twisted Whiskers and Todd World. Also in completion now are the Casper animated TV series with TF1, and work on Tara Duncan TV series with M6 has just begun. 

Said Tapaas Chakravarti Chairman & CEO of DQE Group and Principal Producer of the 52x11 minutes Jungle Book series and 60 minutes TV special, "This powerful alliance with Moonscoop is not only helping to close the budget for our Jungle Book but is also testimony to our promise to produce several TV series and movies together. DQE group now is at rest that this amazingly beautiful series will have a boost in its quality and production efficiencies with the combined forces of ZDF Group Germany, Moonscoop-TF1 combine from France, and DQE group."

Said Sanjay Chaudhary, Senior VP Finance and Legal Affairs, DQ Entertainment, "This co-investment by Moonscoop - TF1 co-production now closes the budget for the series already in production. In view of the current economic climate, this strategy and direct co-production alliance is a decisive step of leveraging tremendous individual strengths of both the groups as has been seen year after year earlier." 

Said Christophe di Sabatino, executive chairman of Moonscoop said: "Jungle Book is an iconic and well-loved property and to be involved in bringing it to television is a real privilege. It's a fantastic project, with a strong team in place. As with our previous co-productions, Casper, and Tara Duncan, we are confident that the combination of Moonscoop and DQ Entertainment will prove to be a winning formula."

Nicolas Atlan, CEO said: "This is our third co-production agreement and hopefully one of many collaborations with our friends at DQ Entertainment. It's a partnership that thrives on an excellent and respectful relationship between the two companies and we're very pleased to sign this new deal which will see us combine our skills once again to produce great television content." 

Laurent Billion COO Europe added: "This is an important project as the property has so many fans around the world, young and old. We are delighted to partner with DQ Entertainment who share the same vision as we do for producing top-quality animation with international appeal."

About DQE: 

DQE is a leading animation production & entertainment company engaged in the production of traditional / digital animation, game art development, and live action content development with a workforce of over 3500 and a global client base. 

DQE has successfully started Licensing and Distribution of its formidable library which includes iconic brands such as Casper, Iron Man, Large Family, Mikido, Little Nick, The Jungle Book and many more

DQE produces animation for films, television series and console based games for a number of international production houses. DQE has over 80 clients - partners including Walt Disney Television Animation, Nickelodeon Animation Studios Inc., Electronic Arts, Marvel, American Greetings, NBC-Universal, BBC, M6, France 2, Method Animation, Atlantyca, MoonScoop Group, Gruppo Alcuni etc.

Currently under production and co-production at DQE are iconic international properties such as Iron Man, Casper, Pinky & Perky, Twisted Whiskers, Mikido, Little Nick, Le Petit Prince, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Season 3, Large Family Season 2, Little Leonardo Season 2, And Yet It Moves Season 4 and many others. DQE has a library of over 300 hours of international animated programs in its Licensing Division. DQE has expanded its Live Action content development for Bollywood with more on slate.

DQE's international quality production facilities are based in Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Manila and has international sales offices in LA, Paris and Tokyo. DQE has to its credit a large number of International performance awards including 7 EMMY nominations and an EMMY win in 2007.

About Moonscoop

Moonscoop is a leading worldwide production, distribution, brand management and entertainment company, focused on producing original projects and building brands with international appeal and longevity. 

Its rights library combines many of the most successful programs and best-loved animated creations in the global television market and includes over 3,000 half-hours of programming airing in more than 160 territories worldwide. Key brands include "Code Lyoko," "Fantastic Four," "Titeuf" (Tootuff), "Pet Alien," "Dive Olly Dive!" and "Casper" which are licensed in markets around the world. Moonscoop's production slate currently includes new series "Geronimo Stilton", "Hero:108", "Twisted Whiskers" and "Chloe's Closet".

Moonscoop was established with the merger of France Animation and Antefilms Production and the subsequent stake of a majority share in US-based Mike Young Productions and Taffy Entertainment, which all now fall under the Moonscoop label. Moonscoop employs over 350 people worldwide.

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